Utility work delays new Capitol garage

Kate Nash | The New Mexican

7/3/2008 - 7/4/08

A planned parking garage just west of the Capitol isn't likely to help the parking crunch much during the 2009 legislative session, a 60-day event.

Construction of the $13 million garage is on hold until the Public Service Company of New Mexico can reroute a power line.

PNM's goal is to have that work done by early August at the latest, spokeswoman Susan Sponar said. The company is trying to expedite the work.

The utility will move the line and build a new one as well as do some underground work, Sponar said.

"Construction (of the garage) will begin the day after PNM is done," said Alex Cuellar, spokesman for the General Services Department, which is overseeing the project.

"Moving these lines is no easy task and there is a lot of planning and engineering that has to be done before a backhoe is ever fired up," he said in an e-mail. "The process took longer than we had anticipated so, obviously, this means the garage will not be fully operational in time for the 2009 session. Once the contractor has a more definitive start date then we'll have a better idea of an overall schedule."

It's unclear how many, if any, spaces will be available by the 2009 session.

Planners earlier this year thought the project could be completed by the start of next January's session.

The approximately 580-space garage will be built on the state-employee parking lot bounded by Paseo de Peralta and Manhattan Avenue, Don Gaspar Avenue and South Capitol Street. It is expected have two levels above ground and one underground level.

Contact Kate Nash at 986-3036 or knash@sfnewmexican.com. Read her blog, Green Chile Chatter, at www.santafenewmexican.com.